in your blog i see the dream i wanted to live. reading it, is almost like experiencing it. what do you mean seed bank ? is it a commerical activity or philantrophic ? would love to visit some time. do you plan to rent a place for visitors ? tho that will probably spoil you peace.

Mokashiji….i do try & use indigenous seeds as much as possible. The idea is to have a seed bank where i can exchange/ barter seeds with other farmers. As of now its only rice & tubers of turmeric. I do not have any vegetable seeds…… but intend to do it after the rains. So its neither philanthropic nor commercial. I do not have any facility to rent etc, but you can come over after the rains, its been pretty heavy this year

There is a group called sulins, sustainable living indians, sulins.org. thot u might be interested. on their mail group, i found a reference to the timbaktoo collective story, which you probably know about, but posting here again : An inspiring story of sustainable farming : The Timbaktoo Cooperative

Stumbled upon your blog while searching for some information about check dam across a stream. My farm is about 65 km south from yours near Kaas plateau. I am following similar path, about two years behind you. I find some solace that I am not alone struggling for infrastructure development. All the best. Keep it up.

Hello Arjun. I am very much thrilled to read your blog messages and the work you do at your farm. Its exactly the kind of work I am trying to do (I hope to invest the same kind of passion as yours) at my farm near Badlapur – planting trees with an aim of enriching the flora and fauna. We can exchange notes if you may wish so..

I have been thinking of farming for a while now, and, today while searching difficulties of farming in laterite i found your blog. What an amazing day it was for me reading through your blog. I read every blog right from the beginning of your blog. I was so glad that you wrote about your experiences.

some things i loved about your writing – honesty and purity of thought. Sir i congratulate on your effort.

Right now I am searching for a piece of land sitting here a thousands of kms away in a foreign but come september I will fly back to the home land. A period of 6 to 7 months of researching and learning and then if i find the right patch of land i will drop ink over that fate changing dotted line.

Some things I learn’t –
Maharashtra Laterite soils not so good.
Green farming is tough. Pests will eat up so much that there is nothing left.
Talks that people give and ground realities are miles apart.
Getting electricity is pain in the butt
I may not be able to make a house for myself and live, even if I have the money to build a beautiful home.

I feel your pain, anguish, troubles, frustrations and victories. I wish you all the best on all your endeavors.

I am a tough soul. I come with a sleeping bag and a tent. Can i come over to intern for a month in your farm?

An extra freehand on the farm, how does that sound?

I speak fluent marathi, hindi, english, malayalam, tamil and a few foreign languages. I grew up in Mumbai.

Arjun, I am a Bamboo lover, live in Delhi. Work for an IT company, planted few Bamboo Saplings in a park near my house abt 5 yrs ago. Inspire of someone chopping it once, the growth is very healthy. I assembled a bicycle with Bamboo replacing main tube structured. It is doing me great service for last 2 yrs. Pls share your contact details as we seem to have Bamboo as our common interest. I can be reached on mail or WhatsApp 9212241233. Hv a good day

Hello :)…. very impressive writing and even more impressive work I must say. Salut. Wishing you all the strength and good wishes to continue on your pursuit.

Is it possible to visit your farm/ forest to learn about plantation/growing trees?

I don’t own my own do bhiga zameen yet! But I have always been interested in understanding how one should sow, grow. ..which trees for what kind of soil, trees/plants that pair well, which tree needs to go where on the farm. ..around the edges etc. Well I certainly don’t want a free tutoring lesson, some inspiration and advice, if you oblige ofcourse! 🙂